I don’t want to scare you, but I might have to, just a bit…

“Climate change is one of the most challenging problems that humanity has ever faced. At stake are hundreds of millions of lives, innumerable species and ecosystems, the health and viability of the economy, and the future habitability of this planet.”- Union of Concerned Sciences

When we burn fossil fuels, the waste gases are released during combustion. The main culprit, carbon dioxide, increases the greenhouse effect in which trapped thermal energy warms the Earth in what we call global warming.
It’s not taken seriously in general because, to an extent, it occurs naturally, but this is necessary.

Phytoplankton (algae on the sea surface) use carbon dioxide from the environment during photosynthesis and is a fundamental food source for whales, sea critters and rare species on the brink of extinction.

Because of how we utilise carbon, production of algae is minimising. Where phytoplankton growth and turnover used to take place over 3 days, this now occurs over a single day in some places - if it continues to diminish we will have lost a lot of species and so have more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Added to the impact of global warming, this also means sealife won’t be receiving the food they need to survive.

The largest Antarctic iceberg has just split which means flooding and rising sea levels in areas all over the world. This affects our lives now and the future of the planet.

Small island countries such as Kiribati and Niue, in the Pacific and South Pacific Oceans respectively, have less than 0.1 MtCO₂ (metric tonnes of carbon dioxide) emissions each year - that’s about 2000 golf balls! Obviously these islands have a much smaller population but also they are at high risk from water level rises as our ice caps melt. They keep their carbon emissions low by living off the land and using renewable energy sources.

We should be safely using 0.8% of carbon per person to keep the levels balanced. In 2019 we used 5.3MtCO2 per-capita in the United Kingdom and this has decreased by 29% over the past decade, but this is not nearly fast enough.

On a global note, America emits 5,270 MtCO₂ per year into our atmosphere and China is the largest with a whooping 9,839 MtCO₂ per year. Many places such as Canada have made huge strides in reduction recently which shows that we can get there if we all do our part and work together.

The plants that cover our planet naturally produce oxygen and take in carbon dioxide, so rather than cutting down the rainforest which reduces the planet's natural way to combat CO2, we should be planting new forests (afforestation) or restoring old ones (reforestation).

So what can we do about this and what are we already doing?

There are new technologies that suck CO2 out of the air (direct air capture such as wind farms) and tons of new initiatives to aim to get plastic out of the ocean. We can all do our bit to help this huge clean-up of the planet, such as beach cleans, recycling and generally just not dropping litter anywhere.

Electric vehicles are a great way to reduce fossil fuel consumption, the invention of more efficient chargers and vehicles will help to push this concept to the foreground. Alongside supplying more electric chargers at petrol stations throughout the country and companies providing ways to purchase electric vehicles by paying monthly.

We’re always hearing horror stories from the media, colleagues and friends about climate change and environmental consequences and these are trying to rouse you to action for a very good reason. Reducing carbon emissions for the whole of the UK by 2030 will help our planet and contribute towards preserving it for future generations.

Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries and grains (preferably locally-sourced to reduce transport emissions) will make a big difference to your carbon footprint.

Reducing your meat intake helps as cattle in particular are known for releasing methane, contributing additional carbon to the atmosphere. Meat and dairy are responsible for 14.5% of manmade global greenhouse emissions.

Cutting out meat products can save you money too, plus there are huge health benefits to cutting down your intake for both your body and the planet. Companies such as Oddbox deliver surplus fruit and vegetables to combat food waste.

Adapting to save the future...

Adapting means everything from discouraging development in more compact areas, to planning for water scarcity (underground water systems are not efficient and need updating), to building more resilient cities and communities. We should be utilising our urban architecture plans to make the most eco-friendly cities we can.

It’s understandable if you can’t afford an electric vehicle, especially after the pandemic. We can attempt to change the policy for renting or part-buying electric vehicles or try using different means of transport. Electric scooters are a good investment or perhaps using 2 and 3-seater bikes.

There are charities all over the globe assisting with deforestation and the extinction of animals. Companies such as Ecosia are making a difference by planting a tree for every 45th search you do on their search engine.

We don’t need to be fearful of this process, if we trust the scientists, act soon, cooperate with each other and embrace positive changes, we may be able to save our planet in time and at the very least, be able to enjoy it more while we are here.

“Fortunately, climate change is solvable. We have the technologies. We have the science. We now need the leadership - and the courage to change course.” - Union of Concerned Sciences

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Written by Ella Levin and Eva Wilshere
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